June 21, 2013

The best stamp ever seen

Last week Royal Mail tweeted the following question: what is
the best stamp you’ve ever seen? We’ve since featured this question on our
forum as well, and I’ve been lying awake for nights on end trying to come up
with the best answer. But I’m flummoxed. Probably because it’s hard to define the
word ‘best’.

Are we talking most recognisable, even outwith the
philatelic brotherhood? Surely something like the French Sower stamp would then
be a candidate.

Or its militant neighbour Germania.

Or, if only because of its long shelf life, the Norwegian
posthorn.

Are we talking most beautiful? If so, I can come up with a completely
different set of ideas: the British Seahorses, featured in this month’s Stamp
Magazine, would be high up on such a list.

Being patriotic for a bit, I would
also like to include the Wilhelmina high values of the early 1900s.

'Best' could also be defined a being ‘the most spectacular’, as in expensive
and rare. On our forum, the Swedish treskilling yellow was mentioned, which
would indeed be a good candidate.

I think I would rather opt for the Inverted Jenny,
which is rare, well-known and visually stunning. Although that would be
cheating a bit, for I’ve never actually seen one.

If I refrain from cheating for a minute, I think I would go for the Blue Mauritius, which I got a chance to admire in The Hague in the Netherlands, after the Dutch Postal Museum managed to obtain a copy which they proudly displayed for a while. I believe it's now gathering dust in the vaults...

Opting for truly iconic, I believe there is only option and
that is to go for the Penny Black. Too often taken for granted, and yet it is a
stunning stamp.

You see, it’s quite a hopeless case. But having said all
this, my choice would be for a stamp, which is iconic in design, instantly
recognised by millions of people, interesting for stamp collectors in that it
offers so many varieties, design and production changes, and mostly affordable
to collect. Yes, you will have guessed it by now: it’s got to be the Machin!
And boy, have I seen those….

:-)

See yous later

Adrian

PS: Do let us know what you would consider the best stamp you've ever seen, either here or on our forum!

You can see the whole thing here: https://twitter.com/RoyalMailStamps/status/345211904127537153.It doesn't look like there was a specific reason for the question and, as was to be expected, not a French or American stamp in sight...:-)

I like this recent (to me anyway) discovery. A 1972 Albertistamp issued by Italy http://us.123rf.com/400wm/400/400/rook76/rook761211/rook76121100104/16223767-italy--circa-1972-stamp-printed-by-italy-shows-leon-batista-alberti-circa-1972.jpg